S/2020/867 Security Council

In accordance with the procedure agreed upon by the members of the Security Council in the light of the extraordinary circumstances caused by the coronavirus disease pandemic, as set out in the letter dated 27 March 2020 from the President of the Security Council addressed to all members of the Council (S/2020/253), I would like to draw your attention to the following. The members of the Council have discussed a draft resolution, submitted by France, in connection with the agenda item “The situation in Mali”. The draft resolution, contained in document S/2020/850 and enclosed herein, has been put into blue. In my capacity as President of the Security Council, I hereby put the above- mentioned draft resolution to a vote. The non-extendable 24-hour voting period for the draft resolution will begin at 10 a.m. on Friday, 28 August 2020. The non- extendable 24-hour voting period will expire at 10 a.m. on Monday, 31 August 2020. Please submit your vote (in favour, against or abstention) on that draft resolution and possible explanation of vote by sending the Officer-in-Charge of the Security Council Affairs Division of the Secretariat (montejo@un.org) a letter signed by the Permanent Representative or Chargé d’affaires a.i. within the non- extendable 24-hour voting period set out above. It is my intention to circulate a letter listing the outcome of the voting within three hours of the conclusion of the 24-hour voting period. I also intend to convene a video-teleconference of the Security Council to announce the outcome of the voting shortly after the conclusion of the voting period, on the afternoon of Monday, 31 August 2020.

The Russian Federation voted in favour of resolution 2541 (2020), on the situation in Mali. We are concerned at the recent events in Mali and consider the sanctions regime as a relevant tool to promote peace and security in that country. At the same time, it is regrettable that our proposal to extend the mandate of the Panel of Experts with the task to provide the Committee with information on the potential delisting was not taken on board. Sanctions are not an end in and of themselves. We should create incentives to change the behaviour of those who are on the sanctions list. A delisting perspective could be one of them. The sanctions committee should regularly receive updated and independent information from the Panel of Experts on the activities of designated individuals and entities. If they cease engaging in the prohibited activities, the Panel should have a clear mandate to propose delisting. In general, the present delisting mechanisms in the country-specific sanctions regimes are extremely ineffective, and therefore cannot be used as an active instrument of the overall sanctions strategy. It is our priority, in cooperation with the members of the Security Council, to seek improvements to this unsatisfactory situation.

The United States is deeply concerned about the recent developments in Mali and is monitoring the situation there closely. Although we have been made aware of reports of President Keita’s release, we call on the mutinous officers to immediately release the other officials whom they have extrajudicially detained in good health and to pave the way towards a peaceful and productive return to constitutional order. If Malian officials are released from detention but continue to face implied threats and intimidation, then clearly the constitutional order is not being respected. The United States is deeply troubled by the patterns of instability emerging in Mali. While we are encouraged by the regional and international efforts to restore order, those efforts may not bear fruit unless all participants agree to protect human rights and the rule of law. We urge all Malian stakeholders to work towards a restoration of constitutional Government. We urge all stakeholders in Mali to engage in peaceful dialogue, respect Malians’ rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and to reject violence. When the Council established the sanctions regime under resolution 2374 (2017), three years ago, we fully expected that it would send the people of Mali a strong signal that the international community is invested in bringing about lasting peace and security in their country and in holding accountable those who thwart that peace. The United States stands with the Malian people and our partners in support of the Algiers accord and calls on all parties to fully implement it without delay. We voted to adopt resolution 2541 (2020) today because we are deeply committed to the goals that shaped this mandate, and chief among them is accountability. However, while our support for the sanctions regime under resolution 2374 (207) remains firm, we are disappointed that the Council failed to seize this opportunity to further strengthen this mandate. We are disappointed that we were unable to agree on the key role that human rights abuses play in perpetuating the cycle of violence in Mali and to highlight the important role of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali in protecting the Panel of Experts while they are on the ground in Mali. However, we are encouraged by the progress that has been made since the Security Council first adopted resolution 2374 (2017), in 2017, but we all have much more work to do. The events that unfolded in Mali just a few weeks ago make this very clear and should spark a sense of urgency in all of us. Rest assured that the United States is watching the situation in Mali closely and that we will continue working with our partners to find a durable solution to this crisis. The Malian people deserve nothing less. We stand ready to use all the tools available, especially this sanctions regime, to marginalize those who stand in the way of that goal. Furthermore, if strong action is warranted to marginalize spoilers, but we do not find a way forward in this body to take those actions, the United States will not hesitate to use our domestic sanctions authorities and look to our partners to join us in taking decisive action.